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World's greatest stage of football, El Clasico--- 10.12.11 @ 22:00 CET

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24K views 444 replies 73 participants last post by  Calcio100  
#1 ·
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Match Real Madrid - Barcelona
Date Saturday 10/12/2011
Time 22:00
Venue Santiago Bernabeu
Matchday 16

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Real Madrid take on Barcelona this Saturday in the first El Clasico of the season and it is Jose Mourinho's side who can come out on top, according to BettingPro.com tipster Neil Roarty...

Real Madrid are currently three points clear at the top of La Liga and have a game in hand on Barca. This makes the gap effectively six points between Spain's top two sides going into the first El Clasico of the season in the Bernabéu on Saturday and that is a huge advantage for Los Merengues.

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José Mourinho's side deserve their lead as they have been the best team in La Liga this season. Cristiano Ronaldo has been his usual imperious self and the Portuguese has already netted an incredible 17 goals in just 14 league matches, as he attempts to win the personal glory of the Pichichi award, but this year Real have been more than just 'Ronaldo and friends'. Gonzalo Higuaín, has scored 12 times and Karim Benzema has hit seven goals as Madrid break Spanish records seemingly each and every match.

Mesut Ozil, perhaps the most under-rated footballer in the world at the moment, and Angel Di Maria have also chipped in to help Los Merengues reach 49 goals in 14 games and it is seemingly impossible to stop the Madrid juggernaut as it crushes each and every opponent both domestically and in the Champions League.

Barcelona aren't bad themselves. Lionel Messi will win this year's Ballon D'Or for a third successive time and the question is not whether the Argentine is the best player in the world at the moment but if he is the greatest to ever play the game. His 17 goals in 15 matches is remarkable as Messi is universally regarded as a creator, rather than a scorer, and he has already helped the Catalans to win the Spanish Super Copa and European Super Cup this season.

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Those trophies sit in the cabinet at the Nou Camp, alongside last season's Champions League and La Liga crowns. Barcelona are a freak side, made up of some of the best footballers of all time, who are all friends that have come up through the ranks of La Masia youth academy.

However, this season they have started to look fallible. Four draws and one defeat in 15 games illustrate that teams are beginning to get wise to the tactics employed by Pep Guardiola's side and frequently they look like they have no Plan B when Plan A isn't working. Real Sociedad, Sevilla, AC Milan and Athletic Bilbao have held Barcelona to draws this year and Getafe beat the Catalans last month. Most impressive of all, however, was Valencia's 2-2 draw in the Mestalla. Los Che out-played their opponents and Unia Emery's tactics of fielding two left-backs, in order to counter Dani Alves's runs on the right flank, will have been observed keenly by Mouirnho.


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The Portuguese attempted to out-pass Barcelona in the first El Clasico of last season and Real Madrid were beaten 5-0. Mourinho learnt from that experience and from then on employed Pepe as a midfield 'destroyer' in the future meetings between the world's two biggest clubs. This worked to a certain extent and Real have only been beaten twice in six subsequent meetings with their bitter rivals.

They have, however, failed to win in any match against Barcelona since 2008, a statistic that hurts everyone connected with Real Madrid. That could well change on Saturday and it 11/8 that Los Galacticos claim victory in the Bernabéu.


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Mourinho will, most likely, copy Emery's tactic of playing two defensive minded left sided players with Marcelo and Fabio Coentrao expected to be tasked with shutting down everything down the Barcelona right. Real Madrid will attack the visitors down the opposite flank and Eric Abidal can expect a tough night trying to deal with Ronaldo and Di Maria.

The pace of those two will cause problems for the Frenchman and the ageing Carlos Puyol will be forced to step in to assist. Puyol is one of the greatest defenders of all time but injuries have taken their toll and he is no longer as reliable as he once was. Real can force errors from the Spain international and Abidal and that could be key to them winning the game.

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Barcelona are, of course, not to be under-estimated. No side with Messi, Cesc Fabregas, David Villa, Xavi and Andres Iniesta can be. However, the fact that these players can, and have been, stopped already this season means that Real Madrid will not fear them.

Six out of the last nine goals that Barca have scored against Real have come from Messi and he is possibly the one man who can turn the game in favour of the visitors. It is 5/1 that he scores the opening goal on Saturday, 13/10 that he scores anytime in the game and 25/1 that he nets a hat-trick. He may have to do the latter in order to claim victory for his side in the Bernabéu, and while he is capable of doing that, one would imagine that the 'Special One' has something up his sleeve to counter the world's most special player.
 
#3 ·
Lass and Ozil were rested, so this means one of two line-ups:

A)

Casillas

Lass - Pepe - Ramos - Marcelo

Khedira - Alonso

Di Maria - Ozil - Cristiano

Benzema​

or...

B)

Casillas

Arbeloa - Pepe - Ramos - Marcelo

Lass - Alonso - Khedira

Di Maria ----- Cristiano

Benzema​

Will Mou go triple pivote at home or stick to our usual 4-2-3-1?
 
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#8 ·
There will be no Arbeloa, Ozil to start on the bench and Coentrao to join Xabi and Sami in the middle.

Barca needs the win more than we do, so the burden is on them to attack us, and we will be there to hit them on the counter.
 
#10 ·
If we are going for the triple pivot, I'd prefer Conterao to start.

we are a much better team than last year, lets do it and beat them in the Bernabeu.

somehow I predict Mou will start with the usual 4-2-3-1.

!!HALA MADRID!!
 
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#16 · (Edited)
Now that's the kind of Match thread I'm talking about.. Fantastic stuff Real4Life.

I'm still pretty undecided about the line-up..

Ozil is in such bad form while Kaka has been great this season - for that reason alone I would rather go with Kaka if Mou opts for the 4-2-3-1.

I'm somewhat against the 4-3-3, because we looked fragile and even toothless with it in the Mestalla.. It just doesn't seem to be our best style of play.

If we do decide to go with a 4-3-3 (absorb, hit on the counter), I think it would have to be Coentrao that slots in and not Lass. Because with a Khedira-Lass-Xabi combo., we really have no means of transition between midfield and attack; and it's going to be tough for just 3 attackers to break down Barca on their own.

I'd like to see the regular 4-2-3-1 with Kaka for Ozil.. If not, this:

Casillas
Arbeloa Pepe Ramos Coentrao
Khedira Xabi
Cristiano Kaka Marcelo
Benzema​

A Marcelo/Coentrao combo. would really give Alves a huge headache.

In the end..

In Mou We Trust.
 
#18 ·
If I was Mou, I would play:

Casillas
Coentrao S.Ramos Pepe Marcelo
Khedira X.Alonso
Di Maria C. Ronaldo Callejon
Benzema

I think Callejon would be the ace up his sleeve. C.Ronaldo would operate freely on the pitch, driving them crazy. Callejon would work perfectly with Marcelo to keep Alves from coming up. Callejon works as hard as Di Maria and would press like a mad man up front which would liberate Ronaldo from doing it and would save all his energy on breaking down that defense. Callejon if presented with an opportunity, he will bury it, no doubt. He has great speed and crossing. He feels the badge and would give 200%. I'm sure the Bernabeu would sing his name at one point.
 
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#19 ·
Goalkeepers
Casillas, Adan, Jesus
Defenders
Ramos, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo, Albiol, Arbeloa, Coentrao
Midfielders
Kaka, Ozil, Xabi Alonso, Di Maria, Sahin, Altintop, Callejon, Lass, Granero, Khedira
Forwards
Cristiano Ronaldo, Higuain, Benzema
 
#23 ·
Guys, Lass is going to start. Accept it. Whether it's at RB or DM, he's been in excellent form, Mourinho has always rated the player when he's not going through his period and in a bad mood, and was purposely rested mid-week to be ready for war on Saturday.

Considering Khedira and Xabi are also undisputed starters, it's pretty easy to see... either the triple pivote with Arbeloa at RB, or Lass at RB with either 4-2-3-1(Ozil) or 4-3-3(Coentrao).
 
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#24 ·
It's to be expected that Lass starts at RB. Arbeloa was subbed off in Ajax game, and that might mean he isn't 100% fit. I am ok with that, but Lass, Khedira and Xabi in midfield is going to make it much more difficult for the 3 forwards to do real damage to UEFAlona defense.

Anyways, I am expecting nothing other than a 5-0 :D
 
#26 ·
M
#27 ·
Gota go with 4-2-3-1.

To start with Xabi, Lass and Khedira in midfield would be a joke. Right now, we're in a great moment, fantastic form. Confidence is high and we are at the Bernabeu. You gota go for the kill, anything else would be stupid. Try to avenge the 5-0 even. A couple of early goals and you'll never know. We should attack from the first minute and treat them like we treat all the other teams in La Liga. Why change for them when you have so much talent?
 
#28 ·
Just ended reading Sid Lowe's article and recalled the interview to Frank de Boer in El Pais

"I think Barcelona will dominate [possession], but that is what Madrid want."

I don't think that Madrid want that Barcelona will have most of that possession, it's that that's the way Barca play. That's the way they build up their attacks, and most and foremost, that's they way they defend. It doesn't have anything to do with dominating or not. That depends on other factors. Madrid is a team that is comfortable playing quick transitions, but is also excellent keeping the ball in the rival's half. If the second thing isn't an option it's because Barcelona want it that way, not because Madrid want it.

De Boer also says that the main difference between Barcelona and Madrid is that Busquets has the role both Khedira and Alonso have. Well, that's radically false. Apart from the fact Khedira will never suffer as much in positional defense and defensive transition as Busquets does, he simply doesn't bring together the wide spectrum of offensive tasks Xabi is able to provide at Madrid. Not even close. I don't even need to comment that while chronicles talk about the need to do specific actions vs Alonso, Mourinho's decision was to leave Busquets alone only forcing his players to interrupt the lines of passing.
 
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